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| Hiking | 10.80 Miles |
1,741 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.80 Miles | 4 Hrs 34 Mns | | 2.66 mph |
| 1,741 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This is an absolutely phenomenal hike, especially if you are an experienced hiker looking for a new hike in the Sedona area that offers solitude and beauty without having to drive many miles out-of-the-way, (like up Schnebly Hill Road, out to the Loy Canyon trailhead, etc.). Based on the many trails/routes and jeep roads that I noticed from the summit, it wouldn't surprise me if there are other ways/THs from which to do this peak. I started the hike from the TH for the Turkey Creek Trail, and the description for this hike is already posted on HAZ.
Very shortly after starting down the Turkey Creek Trail, you are surrounded by beautiful mountains, many of which are the classic Sedona, red rock color. As someone who can easily hold a pace of 3.0-3.5 mph, (minus all of the many picture stops!), I found the short approach on to the lip of the House Mountain caldera to be very mild. The switchbacks were very long and gradual, and, (despite feeling pretty beat up from having logged double-digit mileage the previous two days), I was shocked to see just how much elevation I had gained in what felt like just a matter of minutes.
At the end of the climb, I found myself in a saddle-like area, that opened up in front of me into what looks like a beautiful valley completely surrounded by volcanic mountains; (I'm no geologist and not sure if there's a more proper name; so I'm doing my best to describe what it looked like). To my surprise, almost immediately after reading the saddle area and continuing straight (toward the valley), a jeep road begins and very shortly starts heading down and toward the left (relative to the saddle).
A minute or two after following the jeep road, I checked the GPS track I had downloaded for the Turkey Creek Trail and noticed that it appeared to go straight for a very short distance after the saddle where it ended, (and that I was already to the left, relative to the track). Not content with ending my hike at the end Turkey Creek Trail, (especially when so much lay ahead) - but too beat up to go on a peak bagging frenzy - I immediately started eyeing the surrounding mountains to locate the tallest peak, (which appeared to be in front of me, diagonally to the left (Southwest if I had to guess a direction). I quickly consulted Route Scout, which confirmed that the peak I was eyeing was indeed the tall point of House Mountain.
While tempted to bushwhack as the crow flies (and cut off some distance for my tired legs), I patiently followed the jeep road for about another 1 to 1.5 miles, as it descended into the beautiful valley area that is surrounded by volcanic mountains. Once across the valley area, the jeep road then begins to head up, almost right at the base of the peak I was after. In this area, there is a large water tank on the right. Once again, I was tempted to leave the trail and bushwhack up, but I held off for just a little further.
After passing the tank, another jeep road, (marked 9952A), branches to the right; while the jeep road I was on continues straight. I turned on the road marked 9952A since it was headed right towards the tall point of the mountain that I was trying to reach. However, within the first minute or two, this jeep road just seemed to peter out. At that point, I was close enough, (and the terrain looked friendly enough), that I decided my fastest option was to bushwhack toward the peak. The footing, (although slightly loose), was moist and therefore offered great grip. The brush was also very minimal; and, (with the exception of a few prickly pear here and there), there were practically no thorns or other types of cacti to contend with. It made for a very pleasant bushwhack to say the least, especially while hiking alone. I reached summit after about 10 minutes of bushwhacking give or take. Almost right before making summit, I connected to what looked like an unofficial trail or very defined route. The 360° views were exceptional and definitely exceeded my expectations. I wasn't able to find a summit register. Near the high point, there was an indent in one of the rocks that looked to be the same shape and size of a geological survey marker that someone had apparently removed.
On the way down, I was tempted to take one of the routes but didn't want to add on any more mileage than necessary, (my joints were more beat up than they should've been from stupidly having put on over 250 miles on my trusty five tens). To cut off even more mileage, I extended the bushwhack slightly on the descent so that the water tank was on my right. As for solitude, I saw only six people during my entire 4+ hour hike. The first two were around the 3 1/2 hour mark and the other four were right near the trailhead at the end.
One final detail related to this hike that may be very helpful: HAZ directions to the Turkey Creek Trail are very accurate for the most part… however, the "rough but passable by any vehicle" (describing the final segment of dirt road to reach the TH), definitely needs some updating!!! Passenger cars would be torn apart to put it mildly. To put things in perspective for those who know the area): if Schnebly Hill Road is considered X-rated for a Subaru Forester, then this half mile stretch of dirt road would be rated R. There were many segments where I had to practically come to a stop in order to inch my Forester carefully over in order to clear the large rocks. The good news is, there is parking at the beginning of the rough dirt road, adding on just half a mile each way. |
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| God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
With only an hour I couldn't do much but I followed some trails on both sides of Verde Valley School Rd. One actually branched off the Baldwin, but it came back to the VVS Rd. I tried to grid the area on the west side of the road and ended up doing some backtracking. Nothing too exciting. Just some rutted trails and washes. The methodical gridding and time kept me from getting too far, but there is always next time.
